Within The Waves
by Millie Black
Summary: Claire ended up on the island after a devastating accident. Julius returns to the island after spending some time in the city. When the two paths cross it's not the happiest friendship. Waffle island was known for uncovering secrets, and for these two, it all unravels. But, maybe some secrets were meant to remain Within the Waves.
1. Coming Home to Surprises

**Hello! My name is Millie Black and I want to thank you for even opening up my story. It's probably my favorite thing I'm working on and I hope that you love it too. I try to have a chapter out every two weeks, but that may not happen all the time. Again thank you for reading!**

Julius waited for the boat to pull into the dock so that he could get off as fast as he could. He didn't like boats at all. He had a major illness of seasickness and if he got any vomit on his new outfit he would be so furious. When Julius finally got of the boat he wasn't surprised to see the welcome party there for him. Mira was at the front of it smiling and crying at the same time.

"Welcome home Julius." She opened up her arms and Julius walked into them hugging her back. Everyone else clapped and cheered. Julius was used to all of this excitement. His mother, Mira, was squeezing him so tight Julius felt his outfit start to wrinkle.

"Mom, I understand that you're happy, but you're wrinkling my clothes." Julius made sure to say it softly so that no one else could hear. Mira loosened her grip and pushed Julius back by the shoulders so that she could look at him. She laughed taking in his outfit.

"It suits you Julius. You were always the fashion artist. Actually Candace, Luna and Shelly have returned to the island too. Do you want to go see them later?" Mira's eyes were pleading, but Julius just got back. He didn't think that he could handle those three in his state of exhaustion. Mira seemed to understand. Her hand moved to his back as she started to lead him through the crowd. People in the crowd yelled out greetings and Julius greeted them back. He loved being the center of attention. He recognized everyone in the crowd. At least he thought he did until he saw a girl in the back. She wasn't even paying attention. She was looking at her nails.

"Who is that?" Julius whispered to his mother pointing at the girl. Julius hadn't seen her on the island before. It had been a year and a half since he was last on the island, did someone new come? Mira looked where his finger was pointing and laughed.

"That is Claire. She's quite the bit of a clothes and fashion girl herself. I was surprised to see her out here today. She doesn't really come near the ocean, I don't know why though. I think it has something to do with fear of getting her clothes wet. I'm thankful that she came to see you come home. Candace is with her. They've become friends." Julius watched as Candace, who was standing next to Claire, waved shyly then elbowed Claire next to her. Claire looked at her with surprise in her eyes. Then Candace whispered something to her and Claire turned and met his gaze. Julius was shocked. She had _**silver**_ eyes. There were few on the island that had unusual eyes. Julius was one of them. He such light amber eyes they almost looked red. Claire, with Candace by her, made her way through the dispersing crowd towards him.

"Hello." Claire greeted when she arrived at his side. She stuck out her hand, which had three bracelets on it. These bracelets complimented her outfit, which it was very hard for Julius not to just stare at all day. Her clothes for today were perfect for each other and each piece of clothing complimented each other. "My name is Claire. Pleased to meet you Julius."

"Pleasures all mine." Julius took her hand and they shook. Claire smiled. Just by the looks of it she was restraining herself on something. Candace smiled at Julius and he sighed. He wasn't planning on talking to Candace just yet, but Candace turned back to Claire.

"You don't have to restrain yourself Claire, just let it all out. Julius won't mind." Candace smiled, while Julius wondered what Claire was restraining herself on. Claire coughed, as if to clear her throat then took a deep breath.

"Your boots are clashing with your jacket, and your earrings don't match your eyes. The green, yellow, and pink highlights in your hair are fading out, but I do have to say that they suit you. I'm finished." Julius took in everything that she said and made a mental note to himself to get his highlights redone. Claire was right. Julius couldn't see his earrings, but he remembered which ones he put on.

"Thanks. I can tell that you have more than an eye of fashion. I'm sorry that I made you bear the pain of seeing my horrible mistakes." Julius was sorry. He hadn't noticed. Maybe it was because his mind was on going home. Claire nodded seeing that he really understood his grave mistake. Candace just sighed. Julius finally noticed that his mother had slipped away. She was always doing that at crucial moments. Claire looked at her watch and whispered something to Candace. She nodded and Claire ran off. "Where is she off to?"

"She has an appointment with Selena. Claire is not only a fashion artist, but she is also a hair stylist. Selena, Kathy, and Luna go to her for haircuts or when they need to talk to someone. Claire is a really good listener." Candace's voice got quieter with each word that she uttered. Julius was used to it so he could still hear her. Candace was probably dwelling on what Julius did to her when he left the last time. Luckily, his love had been short lived, but Julius knew that Candace was going to ask him about it.

"Julius, why did you kiss me before you left?" Candace whispered. He was waiting for that. He knew that as soon as Claire left Candace was going to ask about it. He thought that she would take a little bit more time with it, but he could clearly see that Candace had become more bold, less shy.

"I liked you back then, but you don't have to worry about that. My little crush on you was short lived. You can stop dwelling on that now. If you'll excuse me. I have to go." Julius walked off, his boots echoing loudly off the wooden dock planks. He could already tell that Candace was crying. It was either cries of relief or cries of despair. Julius didn't care, he would just have to prepare for a visit from Luna later. Whenever Julius made Candace cry Luna would come and yell at him. Again, Julius didn't care. Now that the hard part was over it was time to take care of the little things.

* * *

Julius walked through town and headed up to Maple Lake District. He had heard that Chase had already come back to the island, Gill was still around and so was everybody else. There were more people coming back than going away. If anyone was going away. As far as Julius knew nobody had left the island again. Once in awhile Selena would go visit her parents on Toucan Island, but that was it. Julius laughed at how much the island had improved. He walked up the wooden steps that led up to his and Jin's houses. He stood in front of his house that was left here, a year and a half ago.

Julius opened the door and as soon as he walked in he knocked over a box. It fell to the floor and it sounded like everything inside of the box broke. Julius cringed and closed the door behind him. He picked up the box and set it on the table, which was also cluttered with things. Julius didn't know how much of a messy person he was a year and a half ago. Now he was as clean as the church. He had a lot to do.

Julius sat down on his couch exhausted. He had spent the last three hours going through boxes and putting things back where they were supposed to go. Now his house was clean, and there was a lot to put in the garbage. Julius didn't even remember why he packed everything up in the first place. His mother hadn't come by yet, so he decided to go to her, but there was something he needed to do first.

Julius pulled on his boots was about to walk outside, when there was a knock on his door. Well there was Luna. She sure took her time. Julius opened up the door. It wasn't Luna. It was Claire. What did she want? Well, Julius found out quickly. Claire slapped him across the face. Then she grabbed his collar and brought him close. Her silver eyes were ablaze with fury.

"If you ever hurt Candace again you'll get more than just a slap. I'm not afraid to send people to the hospital." Then Claire released him and started to walk off. Julius brought a hand up to his cheek. It stung. Claire had slapped him hard. Julius didn't have any medical supplies. He could just leave it, but then he would have to deal with the pain. Good thing Julius lived right next to a doctor. Thank goodness it was Monday, Jin's day off.

Julius knocked on Jin's door and it opened, but it wasn't Jin. It was Anissa. Julius felt a bit stupid. He forgot that Jin married Anissa. What kind of friend was he? Anissa just smiled. She opened her mouth to say something, but then she saw his cheek.

"What in the world happened to you Julius?" Anissa asked. "Come on in. I'll get you fixed up." She opened the door wide and Julius came in. Jin was sitting at the table drinking coffee. He looked up and smiled at Julius.

"Still as flashy as ever. How are you doing?" Jin asked. He too saw the slap and frowned. "Already ticking off girls?"

"Accidental. I was expecting Luna to come get in my face, but instead it was Claire. I was really surprised." Julius felt a bit awkward talking to Jin, while Anissa walked around the room looking in cupboards for medical supplies. It was a bit unusual for him. He wasn't really the type that wanted to get married. It just wasn't really in his future. Jin had Julius take a seat while he helped look with Anissa. Julius took a look around. There were very few changes in Jin house. Julius's eyes settled on a little baby crib in the room and he had to smile. They were expecting. So much had changed.

"So we found some…." Jin walked back into the room and caught Julius staring at the crib. Jin was silent. Then he spoke, his voice a whisper. "We haven't told anyone yet. Can you keep it a secret?"

"Yes. Of course." Julius smiled and Jin broke out into grin. Julius looked at the box in Jin's hand. Jin came forward and set the box on the table. He opened it up and pulled out disinfectant and a bandage. Anissa walked back into the room and watched while Jin dabbed disinfectant onto the slapped cheek. Julius wanted to hiss in pain each time the swab hit his cheek. It really stung.

"So why'd Claire come and slap you?" Jin asked.

"I made Candace cry again. Like I said. I was expecting Luna, but Claire came instead. I had met her earlier. She pointed some flaws in my fashion out to me than ran off. I don't think that she likes me too much." Jin stayed quiet. Julius had expected him to laugh and tell him that he was wrong. Instead Jin had a worried look on his face. "What? Ow."

"Sorry. I'm worried about that girl. When she came to the island it was like she appeared out of nowhere. I talked to Pascal and he said that she didn't come on his boat. Mayor Hamilton and Gill know something about it but they won't tell me. For the first 6 months she was here hardly anyone saw her. She kept to herself. Then the tailor shop opened up and she made an appearance in town. I was talking with Yolanda at the time so I didn't get to introduce myself. A couple minutes later Candace came running up to me. Apparently Claire had fainted in front of the tailor shop. I can't say anything else without breaking the rules of my job."

"You make my mouth water, but don't give me the meal. How cruel Jin." Julius cringed when Jin slapped the band aid onto his face. Anissa giggled. Julius rubbed the band aid and got up. "Thanks Jin. Sorry to bother you. I'll go buy a first aid kit first thing tomorrow."

"You do that. You don't want me to charge you for extra services do you?" Jin followed Julius to the door. Jin opened the door for him and Julius stepped out.

"No, I wouldn't appreciate it. Thank's for you medical attention." Julius walked back to his house and went inside. He would have to go visit his mother later. Julius went into a back room of his and smiled. All of his sewing materials were still there. There was a book on the table and Julius picked it up. It was a sketchbook. Julius flipped through looking at his old designs. The last sketch was Candace in a wedding dress. Julius laughed at his past emotions. He tore out the page and tossed in the garbage. Julius picked up a pencil and started on another sketch. This one wouldn't have any feelings attached to it.

* * *

Claire laid in bed staring up at the ceiling. She hated lying to Candace, but she just couldn't stay there any longer. She should've stayed. Candace had told her some of the awful things that Julius would tease her about. Claire was glad that she called right after her fake appointment with Selena. Claire was even more happy that she had gotten the right house. Julius was a jerk. Claire wanted to go over there now and start to punch the light's out of him. It seemed like a slap wasn't enough for him.

Claire got off of her bed and went over to her kitchen. She had an appointment with Kathy. This appointment was real, and not an excuse to get away from that dreadful ocean. Claire got a broom and tried to sweep every corner and inch of the kitchen. She wasn't very good at getting all of the leftover hair in the kitchen so Claire would sweep it again just before another appointment. There was a knock at the door and Claire set the broom aside to go open it.

"Hello Claire." Kathy greeted. Claire smiled. Just as she had requested, Kathy had left her hair down so that it would be easier for Claire.

"Good afternoon Kathy. Please come on in." Claire stepped aside and Kathy walked in. Kathy already knew what to do. She went to go sit in the chair by the sink. Claire started by washing Kathy's hair. Her fingers worked through the tangles until her hair was nice and smooth. Claire then hair dryed her hair, brushed it out, and then went to cutting. Kathy just wanted a trim this time. She also wanted a little curl at the end.

"I had a fight with Owen today." Kathy sighed. Claire frowned. That wasn't good. If Kathy and Owen were fighting then it would take awhile for them to make up. They were just both so stubborn. Although, Owen usually breaks before Kathy does. Claire combed through Kathy's hair while she told her about the fight.

"I think that you should hold your ground on this. Owen needs to learn. Usually I wouldn't take a side, but this is important. Your argument is in your favor." Claire smiled. Kathy laughed. Claire grabbed the curling iron and started to curl the ends of Kathy's hair. "All I can say is that when you come home today with your hair done Owen wouldn't be able to be mad at you anymore. You'll be too beautiful for him to win." Claire let Kathy's hair fall from her fingers. "There. All done."

"Thank you so much." Kathy sat up and Claire took off the caftan. Then she pulled out the mirror. Kathy took it and Claire lifted up her hair so that she could see the curls at the bottom. Kathy sighed in delight and gave Claire the mirror back. Kathy gave Claire $20 and left. Claire put the money in her money jar and took off her apron. She wanted to go talk to Candace, but she still had one more appointment. Claire wondered if Candace was going to be alright. As much as that jerk Julius had hurt her, along the way Candace had fallen in love with him. Now that love was being crushed. Claire clenched her fist just thinking about him.

She had to admit, his sense in fashion was admirable. He just didn't know how to piece everything together. His eyes. She had always been told that her eyes were gorgeous, but his stole her breath away. She had never seen such eyes. They were almost red. Chase had nice amethyst eyes, but they were nothing compared to Julius's eyes. They held knowledge, and humor. She could see so much in his eyes. They reminded her of her mothe- Claire's stomach lurched. She was going to puke. She quickly dashed to the bathroom and let it all out.

Claire collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily. The tiled floor was nice and cool on her feverish body. Claire breathed in and out until she was feeling better. That hadn't happened in a while. There was a knock at the door and Claire checked the clock. It was time for her next appointment. She got up and left the bathroom. She couldn't let a guest see her in this state. Claire opened the door and smiled.

"Thank you for coming!"


	2. Flowers and Invitations

Julius opened his eyes and sat up with a groan. He had fallen asleep sketching. In the end he didn't go see his mother. She must be wearing a grin with pain in her eyes. Julius quickly stretched and stood up. He checked his calendar. Thank goodness he had this year's one. Today was the flower festival. He groaned. His mother always made him help out with her shop during the flower festival. There was a knock at his door and Julius rushed out of his sewing room and opened the door. He ducked as Luna threw a punch at him.

"Good morning to you too." He grumbled.

"I hate you! Why do you always do this to Candace?! Your a friggin jerk!" She screamed. Her blue eyes were ablaze with fury and hate. The same as Claire's when she came.

"I already got my punishment, now i'm getting more? How cruel." Julius joked. Luna tilted her head in confusion, curiosity overcoming her anger.

"Whadda mean?"

"Claire already came and slapped me. She took care of it for you. No need to be angry." Julius scowled. Luna just stood, stunned. She then smiled.

"Well then, I guess i'll have to thank Claire. Bye idiot!" Luna cackled and ran off. Julius groaned again. Knowing Luna she could have Candace come to the flower festival and start up a shop on spring clothing. Hopefully they would be on opposite sides of the courtyard.

Julius fixed himself some breakfast then headed over to Mira's house. She was picking flowers in her yard. Julius had been right, she was setting up a shop this year. Julius opened up the gate and his mother turned around. She smiled brightly and waved. Julius walked up to her.

"You're not going to make me help you this year right?" Julius teased. His mother laughed lightly.

"I never forced you. I just asked. Once you volunteered because Candace was doing a shop. How are you two anyway? Anything there?" His mother smiled knowingly. Julius smiled weakly.

"Used to be. Nothing more." Julius smiled, but felt a little bad. The smile that his mother had worn drooped into a small frown. She continued to pick the flowers in silence.

"I would really like it if you helped out with the shop. Besides, I would really like to know more about that bandage on your face." Julius's hand immediately went up to the bandage on his cheek. "But unfortunately I have to get to the Town Square before 8:30 or I won't get a place to put my stand."

"I can help you set up, but I won't be staying." Julius took the flowers from her hands and placed them in the basket. His mother smiled again and continued to pick the flowers. Julius helped her until her basket was full. Then he grabbed the 3 white table top covers and placed them over the basket of flowers. Mayor Hamilton supplied tables for those who wanted shops. If you didn't show up before 8:30 you didn't get to put up a shop. His mother always prepared early so she always got a shop.

There were only a couple of people in the Town Square when they arrived. Mira went to go talk to the Mayor to get the tables while Julius followed slowly behind. Almost immediately he picked out Candace. Right beside her was Claire. As if she sensed someone was watching her Claire turned her head around and locked eyes with him. Her eyes narrowed as Julius smiled at her. She frowned and turned away, saying something to Candace. He watched in surprise as both girls laughed. He hadn't seen Candace laugh in ages. It was even more surprising that Claire was laughing. From the way she acted he thought that she was a more serious girl.

"Julius." He whipped his head around to find his mother waving a hand in front of his face. She was trying to carry a small table to the middle of Town Square. She smiled while Julius rolled his eyes. He helped her drag the table over and then helped her set it up. She grabbed two other tables and locked herself in the middle of them. Julius gave her a tablecloth and they worked together to put them all on the tables.

"Is that all you require of me?" Mira was now placing flowers out for people to look at.

"Yes, but I do wish that you would stay." She smiled hopefully, but Julius shook his head.

"I've got someplace to be. I'll see you for dinner later." She smiled weakly and let him go. Julius gathered up her leftover things then sped out of the Town Square. He wasn't going to risk having to talk to Claire or Candace. Claire scared him a little and her with Candace made things worse. Instead, Julius made his way to the church.

The cemetery was empty when Julius reached the top of the hill. Everyone was probably getting ready for the festivities. Julius opened the gate as it made a loud creaking noise. He brushed past every tomb stone, until he stopped a new one. He stopped and read the names

Terrence Lyon  
Jane Lyon  
Sylvia Lyon"  
Darren Lyon  
Death 2016 July 7th

It was a large tombstone and it looked almost brand new. Julius felt sorry and sad. It looked like a while family had been wiped out. He felt bad for the Lyons. He noticed a fresh batch of flowers sitting on the tombstone. Either someone in their family was alive or someone from the island took very good care of the families grave. Julius placed a leftover flower on their grave before moving on.

Julius stepped in front of the an old grave at the end. It looked worse than last time and Julius wondered if it needed to be replaced. He knelt down and slowly read the tombstone. He'd gotten the right one. Julius took all of the leftover flowers and dumped them over the grave. It belonged to his father.

Julius didn't really care about seeing his father's grave. He only came every time he left or returned to the island. Which wasn't often. His mother came every sunday. She had loved him quite dearly, even though he was a scumbag. Julius tood in front of the grave for a few minutes before turning around. He couldn't waste all of his time.

On the way down the path Julius passes Claire. She hardly gave him a glance before continuing up the hill. It was obvious that she hated him. Julius just shook his head and continued down the path.

"JULIUS!" Julius froze. There was only one person that lound. Luke. Julius inwardly groaned. Luke always messed up his hair or clothes whenever they crossed paths.

"Hello Luke, what a fine and beautiful morn-"

"Yeah yeah yeah! Have you met Claire yet?"

"Unfortunately yes." Julius's hand reached up to his cheek.

"She's so Radical right? Her eyes are silver! It's so cool! Only a couple of more days and all of up can hit the beach together. Your coming!" Luke grabbed Julius and put his arm around his shoulder. Julius didn't like to swim. He only went all those times because Candace was going. Even then he didn't really swim. More like sat underneath a breach umbrella and played beach volleyball with everyone. Julius wanted to say no, but for the sake of seeing old friends, it couldn't be that bad.

"Sure. I'm coming, I guess."

"AWESOME!" Luke let go of Julius then started jumping around like an idiot. Typical Luke. "Well I got to get back to the carpentry or the old man's going to blow his top. I'll come and get you when we decide to go down to the beach. BYE!"

"See ya." Julius smoothed his clothing out and fixed his hair. Luke had managed to ruin it again. It was just like him. Julius chucked at his old friends enthusiasm. Maybe it would be nice to hang out with him and all the other's again.


	3. Beach Balls and Shock

**I want to thank everyone for their support lately. I checked how many people had read my fan fiction stories and I flipped out. I have over 1,000 with all of my stories combined. I want to thank everyone who has read this story and my others. Thank you so much!**

* * *

There was a loud pounding on Julius's door. It had been a week since the flower festival and it was now officially summer. The heat was almost unbearable. Julius rolled out of bed groaning. He was not a morning person. He walked slowly to the front door and was about to open it when it burst open.

"JULIUS! TIME TO HIT THE BEACH!" It was Luke. Bo was with him and so was Chase. If Chase was there Maya couldn't be far behind.

"Do you know what time it is?" Julius groaned.

"Yeah around 8:00 am. Let's go! We still have to get to Claire's house! I want to be at the beach by 8:30." Julius groaned and went to get dressed. Luke happily made himself at home by sprawling himself over the couch. Julius heard from Chase that Luke made a bet with Owen and that's why he was in a rush.

"Isn't he always in a rush?"

"Good point." Chase and Julius laughed. Luke rushed out the door as soon as Julius was dressed and ready to go. He raced to Carmel River District. While the rest of us jogged slowly behind. By the time we arrived to Claire's house Julius was already banging on the door.

"CLAIRE!" He yelled. The door flung open to reveal Claire.

"What the hell do you want!?" Julius snickered at Luke's shocked expression. Claire was dressed in a tanktop and short shorts. It was probably her sleepwear.

"We wanna go down to the beach! You should come too!" Luke smiled, while Claire's mood deepened. In fact her mood seemed to shift completely. She almost looked terrified. Why?

"No." She tried to close the door, but Luke caught it and yanked it open again.

"Please! Candace is coming." Luke begged. At the mention of Candace, Claire seemed to think about it.

"Fine, but i'm not swimming. Give me five minutes." She closed the door again. Luke waited for two minutes before getting impatient. Luke reached for the doorknob.

"Luke!" Everyone screamed. He turned to look back at us.

"What?" Chase smacked his forehead.

"You can't just barge into a girls house! What is she's still getting dressed?" Julius explained in a harsh whisper. Luke still looked confused.

"I don't get it." He shrugged his shoulders and opened the door. "Hey Claire your done yet?"

"Luke!" Everyone screamed again. Chase reached out and tried to grab him, but he pulled his hair instead.

"Ow! What the heck?" Luke looked back. Julius was covering his eyes, just in case he saw something he wasn't supposed to.

"Yeah i'm done. Don't open my door without asking. Baka." Julius opened his eyes again as Claire stepped out. She was wearing a black one piece suit and a wrap.

"I thought you said you weren't swimming?" Julius asked. She glared at him.

"I'm not. This is just to fit in with the other girls." She turned her nose at him. Julius clenched his fist. Yeah, he hurt Candace, but this was ridiculous. How did someone hold a grudge this long?

"ALL RIGHT!" Luke yelled. "LET'S HIT THE BEACH!"

* * *

When they arrived at the beach it was 8:25. Luke grinned at Owen who had gathered everyone else together. Candace ran to Claire, smiling. Julius couldn't help but notice that Claire was the only one in a one-piece. All the other girls were in two pieces. Of course he had expected kathy and Selena to wear one, but it was a bit surprising to see Candace wearing one.

"Let the fun begin!" Luke yelled. He tosseed off his shirt and cannon balled into the ocean. Everyone except Julius and Claire shouted, "Banzai!" and started laughing. Julius joined the guys in the ocean while Claire joined Candice in laying out a beach blanket.

The fun continued and Julius found himself enjoying the beach outing. He was able to catch Owen off balance and sent him tumbling into the ocean. That gave everyone a good laugh.

"Julius." Luke pulled him aside. "You a lot easier to hang out with than before. You're less, um, stuck up?" Luke struggled with his vocabulary. "Anyway your a lot more fun to be around." Julius smiled and Luke ran off. It was true that Julius had been stuck up and all about fashion, but living the city can show you how to be really stuck up. He learned that maybe clothes weren't the only things that were important.

"Let's start the volleyball." Owen yelled. Cheers followed after. Julius was surprised to see Claire get up and join everyone.

"Alright! Let's pick teams!"Luke and Owen both eyed each other. Luke was grinning, Owen was frowning. "Since I won the bet I get to pick first!"

"You woke me up early for that?!" Chase screamed. Luke just smiled.

"Yep!" Everyone groaned, including Julius. "Anyway I want Julius."

"Alright." Luke was sure being nice today. He used to hate Julius. Soon enough the teams were picked. Luke had Chase, Julius, Phoebe, LUna, and Calvin. Owen had Kathy, Selena, Candace, Maya, and Claire. Julius laughed at Owen's almost all girl team. Luke was laughing himself. Renee, Toby, and Bo were the refs. They set up the new and the game started.

* * *

Claire slowed her breathing as she readied to start the game. The ball was tossed up and Owen smacked it over the net. Chase received it while Julius set it up. The ocean waves echoed in her ears. She tried to block it out and focus on the game. The ball was hit up and in line for Claire to spike it. She jumped up and slammed her hand into the ball. I headed straight for Julius. His eyes widened and he dodged out of the way. The whistle was blown.

"Nice spike Claire!" Candace attacked her from behind.

"Thank you." Claire smiled. Candace was getting better at talking to people. She wasn't the shy girl Claire had first met. Julius's eyes narrowed as he stared at them. Claire glared back. Was he mad that Claire was able to spike? She had played volleyball almost all her life. Maya also hugged Claire and was gibbering complements at her.

"Come on guys! Just two more points and we win!" Owen yelled. He was the team captain of their little group. Suddenly the ball was spiked and it almost hit Claire's face. She turned to see who spiked it. She watched Julius's feet hit the sand again. His team patted him on the back. He locked eyes with her and grinned. If he wanted to go, bring it on.

* * *

When Claire had spiked the ball at him, Julius was surprised. She could spike? Julius had never spiked before so he talked to Luke. He wanted to return the favor. Julius was glad that it made it over the net. He was even more glad when he saw the fire in Claire's eyes. She had accepted the challenge.

The game continued. Owen's team needed two more points and Luke's needed three. It was Candace's turn to serve the ball. It didn't even reach the net.

"S...so...sorry." She whispered, turning red in the face. Claire patted her on the back. Now we were tied. Kathy took over the serving and the ball shot over the net. Phoebe received it and hit it over to Julius. Luke awaited at the side, ready to spike it. Julius set it up for him and it went soaring over the net. Maya let it by pass her, not even caring, or bothering, to try and hit it. ONe more point and Luke's team would win.

Julius had a good suspicion that their team would win. It was crushed when Selena spiked it ove rhte net. Something had changed in the girl's eyes. It was like someone lit a fire in them. Julius already knew who it was. Claire. Currently she was talking to Maya. The fire had been lit and Maya suddenly cared about the game. How in the world did she do that? Claire was good.

"Match point!" Renee yelled. Toby blew the whistle. Calvin served the ball. Candace received it, but it went lopsided. It was going out. Suddenly Kathy shot forward and dove for it. She hit it up and Owen spiked it. Luna barely had any time to react before it slammed into her face. It was knocked to Phoebe who hit it awkwardly. Calvin righted it and Chase hit it over to Julius. He set it up for Luke and Luke spiked it. That was the win! No one could stop Luke's spike, not even Owen.

That wasn't the case.

Candace received it. She received it in the face. With everyone getting hit by super spikes, Julius was surprised that neither of them got a bloody nose. The pure force of the spike rebounded it into the sky. Selena jumped up and sent it flying down. Calvin had to slide to hit it. Phoebe hit it to Luna who was furious.

"OWEN! HOW DARE YOU HIT ME IN THE FACE!" She screamed. She hit it over to Chase, but Julius felt like she could spike it and win with her this mad. Luna hit it over to Chase who hit it to Luke. Julius realized he was going to spike.

 _Please, Please let his work!_

Julius brought his hand down on the ball as hard as he could. The ball went straight for the corner. Everyone watched as it got closer and closer. Julius watched as Claire dove for it. The sand settled. Claire was lying on the ground, her hand centimeters away from the ball. She had missed it.

"YEAH!" Luke yelled. He did a victory dance while everyone else just laughed. Candace helped Claire up, smiling. Luna was chewing Owen out for hitting her in the face. Luke walked up to Claire. "Since you were the one who missed the spike, you get the punishment."

"What?" Claire growled. She wasn't having a good day. Luke smiled. He grabbed her wrist and started pulling her toward the ocean.

"Since you didn't swing at all, you have to at least get wet."

"No…" Her voice was shaky and it sounded like she was about to cry. Her face went pale and she looked really sick. Claire's eyes became glazed over like she was dead. Her body became limp, but Luke didn't notice. He chopped wood all day long so he was really strong. Julius was about to step in, but someone else already had it covered.

"Luke STOP!" Everyone turned their heads. Candace had tears streaming down her face. Julius's heart constricted. "Let her go!" She shouted. Luke, shocked out of his mind, dropped her. Candace ran over and helped Claire up. She wasn't responding. No one was. No one on the planet had heard Candace yell so loud. Most people couldn't even hear her sometimes. Finally someone reacted.

"I'll get Jin." Kathey offered in a strangled voice. She ran off to go get him. Luna and Julius ran over to help Candace. She was crying as she tried to lift Claire up. Julius pulled her hands away and slid his arms under Claire. As he lifted her up, he was surprised at how weightless she and Luna followed Julius up the hill as her carried Claire to the clinic. They could hear Owen telling everyone to pack up and go home. Jin and Gill's figures running up to them snapped Julius away from the beach.

"What happened?" Jin inquired as he used them into the clinic.

"Luke pulled her too close to the ocean. Her eyes got the blank look in them again and she blacked out again." Luna reported. Candace was crying too much to say anything. _Again? What did Luna mean again? Had this happened before?_ Gill mumbled something under his breath and exited the clinic.

"Julius can you still car-"

"Of course I can! Just because I'm into fashion doesn't mean i'm a weakling." Julius snapped. Julius cursed under his breath. He was reverting back to his older self. Jin just smiled and gestured to the stairs.

Claire stirred in Julius's arms as he carried her up the stairs. Her head rested against his chest and she relaxed. _Huh. She could be cute sometimes. CUTE? Where did that come from?  
_

* * *

 **What's going on with Claire? Hmm. Just so everyone knows, Baka is Japanese for idiot or moron. I really like the Japanese language and want to learn it one of these days, so I Incorporated it into my fan fic.**


	4. Pain of the Past

**HELLO! I really hope you enjoy this chapter. I cursed myself for making it so sad and depressing. I wanna thank everyone for reading up to this point! Please continue to read it!**

* * *

The rocking of the boat was trying to lull Claire to sleep. Her family was talking with the rest of the guests on the ship. This cruise was the best thing that had happened to her. There were plenty of cute fashionable guys on the ship. As she sipped her champagne she stumbled over to one of those guys. It was her 6th glass of champagne that hour. She was heavily drunk.

"Hello Claire." He eyed her up and down and smiled largely. This was Joey. He was one of the guys that had caught her eye. He had that cool guy look to him.

"Hello Joeyyy." She slurred. That made him laugh.

"You are really drunk. Take a seat." Claire sat across from him and stared into his cat green eyes. They were lit up by the lights on the ship. She flirted heavily with him for a while.

"Claire, I think you need to stop drinking that." Her older brother Darren walked up drinking from his own glass. He joined them at the table. Claire groaned. He always ruined her fun.

"Hey Darren." Joey greeted. Darren nodded his head. Claire took another glass from a waitress passing by, but Darren snatched it out of her hands.

"No more." He had that stern look in his eyes again. Claire rolled her eyes and sighed. Darren was like a hawk, always watching her. He didn't seem to want to let her make her own decisions. She rested her chin on the table, scowling. She couldn't wait until her brother took over the company. Then he'd be long gone and she wouldn't have to deal with him. Joey was polite to Darren, even though he shared her dislike for him.

"So how's Sylvia?" Joey asked. Claire's head snapped up the the mention of her sister. Sylvia was the oldest in the family, but had already told their parents that there was no way she would take over the company. Claire tried to figure out of Joey was aiming for her all along. While Claire had to fight to get a guy to look at her, Sylvia attracted them like flies. Claire thought that Joey liked her. She slumped down in her seat, disappointed.

"She's fine. A little bored, but she's having fun talking to the guests." Darren treated everyone nicely. He was pretty good at controlling his emotions, so Claire couldn't read him. Claire could read people like a book. She thought it had something to do with her unusual eyes. That was one thing that Sylvia didn't have. Sylvia didn't have Claire's amazing silver eyes. That was one of the things that Claire was proud of.

"How's your parents?" There was a slight pitter patter in the warm night air. Was it starting to rain? The whole deck was covered by a nice shade tarp, but where the three of them were sitting they could reach out past the barrier. Claire did just that. Three drops of rain splashed into her hand. It was warm. Summer rains were the best. They always filled the air with warmth. Darren and Joey continued to converse. Thunder rumbled in the distance and Claire saw a flash of lightning. There was a pit of worry in her stomach. The summer had the worst storms. Darren also looked worriedly over to where the lightning had flashed. Everyone else was still talking and laughing.

"How are my two favorite siblings?" Sylvia sashayed over to where they were sitting. Claire inwardly groaned. Here was her sister, trying to take away one of the boys she worked so hard to build up points with. Darren smiled, but this time Claire could see the twitch of worry. Joey's eyes popped out of his head. Claire sank lower in her seat and grumbled. Sylvia bat her eyes and played with Claire's hair.

"Hello Sylvia." Darren greeted. Sylvia smiled. Joey's brain seemed to be overloaded with Sylvia's beauty. Claire cursed under her breath. She had helped Sylvia pick out her wardrobe for this cruise. Her sundress matched every part of her beautifully. The yellow dress combined with her light blue eyes and curly chestnut hair made Sylvia a work of art. It also made Claire, a pile of mud. Not dirt, mud.

"Sylvia would you like to dance?" Joey asked. Sylvia tilted her head in surprise and stopped playing with Claire's moonlight black hair. She smiled brightly.

"Of course, but let me warn you I'm a terrible dancer." Joey took Sylvia's hand and they walked over to where others were dancing. When they were out of earshot, Claire released her groan. Tears pricked her eyes. Why wasn't she as beautiful as Sylvia? Darren pat my head like I was a child.

"Next time Claire."

"There won't be a next time! Sylvia is going to take every single boy from me. Even if I get married one day, one look at her and it's divorce. Or an affair." Claire whined. Darren laughed.

"That's a crazy notion Claire. I don't think that will happen." The rain was stronger now and the wind was slowly building up. There were more flashes of lightning. The thunder was growing louder. Claire and Darren watched it all with worrying eyes. The ship's rocking was becoming more violent. Other people started to notice. Darren turned to Claire as if they had the same thought. They were heading straight for a storm.

* * *

"It will all be fine. Most ships make it through the storm. Some even come out unscathed." Claire tried to believe him, but there was still that worry. There was a huge crack of lightning that hit the water. It was so close to the ship Claire tried to scoot away from the edge. She put herself right next to Darren. He took her hand under the table. He may be an annoying brother, but he was able to comfort her.

More lightning. Followed by thunder. The wind was howling now, and the rain drowned out almost all sound around Claire and Darren. The ship protected everyone from the wind and rain, so most people still didn't notice. There were a few that kept glancing at the troubling waters. There was a huge boom of thunder that got everyone's attention. There was another lightning flash. It hit the top of the ship. A couple of people screamed. The lights suddenly went out. Claire squeezed Darren's hand so hard she thought she would break it. She had always been afraid of the dark. It was childish, but back in her room at home she still had a night light.

"Anyone got flashlights?" Someone asked. A few clicked on. Darren fumbled with his clothes before pulling out his own. He clicked it on and handed it to Claire.

"Let's go find mom and dad." He smiled. Now was a good time to cover up his emotions. Claire was glad that he did. If he would show them, then Claire would probably get more scared. It was hard to wade through the crowds. After 5 minutes of searching, Darren gave up. "Let's find Sylvia then." The ship lurched and people screamed. Darren tightened his grip on Claire as he tried to keep his footing. Now people were starting to panic.

"The dance floor. She's probably still there. " Darren and Claire fought their way through the crowds. When they made it to the dance floor Claire could spot her sister immediately. She was holding tightly onto Joey who was looking fearfully at the water. Couldn't he be more like a man and say comforting words to her? The ship lurched to the other side. Claire grabbed the railing and kept a tight hold on Darren. Joey slid back along with 20 other people. Sylvia managed to hold her footing.

They were definitely in a storm. A destructive one at that. Claire could tell by Darren's grip on her. She inched along the railing making her way to her sister. The wind stung her eyes as rain was pelted through the opening between the rails and the cover. Everyone was in mass panic now. There were people running around and calling out names. Claire thought she heard her own, but she pushed on forward. The ship lurched again. With horror Claire watched as Sylvia rammed into the railing.

Sylvia toppled over it.

Claire didn't care about her own safety anymore. She ran over and reached out for her sister. Everything seemed to be in slow motion for her. Her hand reached Sylvia's. Claire was almost pulled overboard by the sudden weight of her sister being added to hers. Darren grabbed her waist to keep her on board.

"Claire!" Sylvia cried. Her eyes were fearful as tears streamed down her face. "Don't you dare drop me!" Claire could hardly hear her over the wind and thunder. Darren struggled with keeping his footing as the deck started to be covered with water. Claire started to notice her own tears, and the terrifying feel of Sylvia's hand starting to slip from hers.

"Darren! I can't ho-" The ship lurched again, just as Darren's hands slipped away from Claire's waist. It was all slow motion again. Claire toppling over the railing while Sylvia's hand slipped from her's. Darren trying to grab her hand. His mask covering his emotions shattered. She could see every bit of terrifying fear in him. His yelling.

"Claire!" She closed her eyes.

"Claire!" Cold water.

"Claire!" _Stop! I don't want to hear it anymore!_

"Claire wake up!" _I can't. I'm dead._

"Get up or i'll spray you with water!" _No more water! I HATE WATER!_

* * *

Claire's eyes shot open. Doctor Jin stood over, holding a squirt bottle. What was she? A dog? Then she remembered. The beach. Fainting. The lulling footsteps. She sat up touching her head. She had a pounding headache. Jin sat down in his chair and sighed. She rubbed her eyes and wasn't surprised to find that she had been crying. This happened every time she fainted.

"You took the pills right?" Jin asked.

"Yes. I took the pills." Claire growled. She took them anytime she would even go close to the ocean. This time she took more that usual. Jin sighed.

"I told you to be extra careful." His tone was rising. Claire noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't been sleeping well.

"I was careful."

"You could've declined. You don't always have to be with Candace 24/7."

"I know, but I have to be extra careful now that Julius is here. I don't want him to hurt her anymore." Claire bristled at the thought of him. It was his fault that Candace is like she is. She wouldn't let him turn her back into the quiet girl she once was.

"You need to take more care of yourself. You just need to break out of th-"

"You don't think i'm trying?! You have no clue what it feels like! You have no idea how hard it is to not be able to hang out with all the girls when they go down to the beach! I want to touch the water, feel the wet sand beneath my feet! I won't let myself! My brain to to warped up in the terror of that night! You know nothing so just SHUT UP!" Claire yelled. Then she head a door creak. She whipped her head towards the door. She saw a flash of purple before it retreated back down the stairs. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Someone heard her.

* * *

Julius couldn't process what he just heard. The terror of that night? What in the world happened to her? He was glad that he backed away when he did. If she caught him eavesdropping…. It wouldn't be a peaceful death for him. Julius went back down to the waiting room. Candace had already gone through a box of tissues. Seeing her in this state pulled at his heartstrings. He hated it when Candace cried. When he made her cry he managed to get through. This time she was crying because of someone else.

He wanted to go chew Luke out. He went too far. Julius tried so hard to change so people would like him more, but he was done with that. He couldn't handle the pressure of not being himself. He sat down next to Candace who was blowing her nose. Irene was holding out a new tissue box for Candace.

"Th...an..k yo..u" Candace sobbed. Julius wanted to laugh. Candace was too emotional. That's what he loved about her. Julius caught himself. That's what he had loved about her. Not anymore. There was thumping, and Jin came into the room. Julius relaxed. It wasn't Claire. Not yet anyway. Jin rubbed his eyes. Julius had noticed that he looked tired. Maybe the thought of being a father was keeping him up.

"Ho...w is s..he?" Candace asked. Jin glanced over at her.

"She's fine. She'll be down in a minute. Candace breathed a sigh of relief. Julius nodded. Jin glanced at Julius. He arched an eyebrow. "Why are you still here?"

"Oh thanks. So nice to me. I'm here for my thank you. Claire was heavy." Julius came up with an excuse quickly. He honestly didn't know why he stayed. Claire actually wasn't heavy at all. She seemed a bit underweight to him. A flip flop smacked him in the face. Julius picked up it, rubbing his nose.

"Baka." Claire came down the stairs. She snatched the flip flop from him and put it back on. She was still in her swimsuit, along with Candace. Julius had put on a shirt. "I'd never thank you for anything."

"Meanie. How couldn't you say thank you to fabulous me?" Claire tilted her head. She smiled with amusement. Julius was taken aback. She smiled?

"I see you're not hiding behind a mask anymore." Julius was even more shocked. She could tell? How observant was she? Maybe he was just bad at hiding his feelings. If she was observant, then would she be able to tell when someone is eavesdropping? Julius pushed down his questions.

"It's hard trying to be someone i'm not." Julius smiled. Candace looked between the two for a second, before smiling. She got up and hugged Claire.

"I'm glad that you're okay." Claire hugged her back. Julius sat there rolling his eyes. Jin went grabbed something from behind the counted and handed it to Claire. Julius didn't get to see it before she hit it behind back. Suspicious.

"You have a clean bill of health. You're free to go." Claire and Candace left almost immediately. Julius stuck behind.

"So, what's up with her?" Julius was hoping to get something out of Jin.

"Do you really want to know?" Jin was sifting through papers. Julius nodded. Jin looked up locked eyes with Julius. "Go ask her then." Julius groaned.

"Siriously! Your so mean to me Jin." Julius whined. Jin grinned. "Then what's up with you? Your screaming 'I'm stressed and tired'. What's up?" This made Jin freeze for a second. Got him. He looked up, the weariness showing in his eyes.

"Can everyone seriously tell?" Julius nodded, smirking. Jin sat down, leaning back in his chair. He was quiet for a moment. "We lost the child."

"Oh." That was all he could say. Jin wasn't going to be a father. That's not what he was stressed about. "Hows Anissa?"

"She's devastated. She hardly eats and won't leave the house. She spends most of her time in bed." Jin rubbed his eyes. "She was so excited. She went through millions of baby room colors with me. She just…." Jin's voice cracked. Julius's mind was sending him warning signals. He had no clue what to do, or what to say. He always knew what to say. Jin met his eyes. "You don't tell anyone about this. Especially Anissa. She doesn't need everyone to know."

"I understand." Julius wasn't going to let this slip. "Get some sleep Jin. You won't be able to handle the stress if you don't sleep. You're a doctor you should already know this." Julius tried to lighten the mood. It didn't work.

"I know Julius. I know." Julius left. Leaving Jin in mourning.

He couldn't imagine the pain of losing a child. It was worse for Jin. He was a doctor. He was beating himself up for not being able to do something about it. Julius was downcast for the rest of the day. Both Claire's secret and Jin's weighed on his chest. He couldn't do anything about them. For Claire he would have to find out more information. For Jin….Julius didn't know what he could do for him.

That was the worst feeling. Not being able to help. No matter how much you want to.

* * *

 **I feel like a devil and a jerk. For the story and what i'm going to tell you. I'm now only going to be updating on the weekends. It's easier for me because I have school. I understand the pain of having to wait for chapters, so i'm really sorry! Thank you for reading the chapter.**


	5. Conflicting Feelings

**If there is some grammar mistakes, then I apologize. My editor had something come up and couldn't finish editing. Sorry for not giving you a chapter last week, I am getting ready to move, so things might be a bit slow.**

* * *

Julius avoided Jin for the rest of the week. He holed himself up in his house, thinking about how he could help them. When Julius realized that there was absolutely no way he could help, he fell in despair. He may flaunt his feelings around and make everyone think he's annoying, but Julius always wanted to help people. He didn't know what he should say or do in this situation.

Julius's alarm went off and he groaned. He pushed snooze and rolled over, trying to get back to sleep. Julius was an early riser, but he didn't feel like doing anything today. The alarm went off again and Julius turned it off. He rolled out of bed and rubbed his eyes. There was no stopping himself from getting up. It was just a routine that he couldn't get rid of.

He grabbed an apple from the kitchen and bit into it. Walking into his sewing room, he turned on the light. He grabbed his sketchbook and started on another design. When he was finished, he decided it was decent enough. That's when he noticed that he was out of fabric. He'd have to make a trip down to the Tailor Shop. Dang it.

"JULIUS!" Julius cringed. It was his mother calling for him. She barged into the room and smiled. "I see you're up. Good. I thought that I was going to have to wake you up myself."

"Mom. I'm not 5, I'm an adult. I don't really need you to come wake me up." Mira put her hands on her hips and frowned.

"Come on. Make yourself presentable. You're coming with me." She could've skipped out of the room she was so overjoyed. Julius had to smile. His mother always had so much energy. He went back into his room. He hurried to get ready, but didn't rush too much. "JULIUS! What is taking so long?"

"You can't rush beauty. As a work of art, I can't cut corners." Julius could see his mother rolling her eyes even when he wasn't in the room. When was finally done he joined his mother in the kitchen, where she decided to make him breakfast. "So where are we going?"

"To the tailor shop. You haven't said hello to Shelly yet. I find it rude and disrespectful."

"I was going to head over there anyway. I'm out of fabric." Julius didn't want to go, but if he got the fabric sooner rather than later, it would just be the best. Mira smiled.

"Well then. I guess it's fate. You needed to got to the tailor shop today." She gave him the plate of eggs. Julius grabbed a fork and ate it quickly. When he was finished they both went out.

As they neared the Tailor shop, Julius remembered how nervous he used to be. He used to walk back and forth between the tailor shop and the clinic, building up his confidence to go in and talk to Candace. Ah youth. It was so nice. A bell rang as Julius and Mira walked into the tailor shop.

"Welcome!" Shelly turned to the door and her smile grew wider when she saw the two. "Mira! Julius! How nice of you guys to come!" Shelly came out from behind the counter and gave each of them a giant hug. Julius didn't have to adjust his clothe. Shelly had a way of hugging him where she didn't mess up his fabulous arrangement. "Candace is in the back trying to figure out a design. I'm sure that she would like your opinion."

"Uh sure." Julius went out to the back. Before he opened up the door, he listened to the conversation. There was giggling.

"I really like him, and I think that I'm ready for the next step. Oh gosh! What do I do?" It was Luna's voice.

"Your doing great Luna. I'm sure that Gill feels the same way." Candace.

"Both of you are straight forward. If you just come out and say how you feel I don't think that he'll ridicule you for it. If he doesn't feel the same way just work at it then knock him off his feet. Your strong, and don't give up." That was Claire. Julius was surprised at how much her advice made sense. He heard someone take a deep breath.

"Thanks! You guys made me feel better. Let's get back at the design. Which gem should we incrust here? A ruby or a sapphire?" This was Julius's cue. He entered the room.

"Ruby shows power or boldness. Sapphire is more mellow and calm. What are we looking at here?" Julius leaned over Candace's shoulder and he heard her take a sharp breath when he leaned in. He looked at the design. It was a beautiful flowing dress. It almost looked like water flowing in a stream. "Sapphire definitely."

"What are you doing back here?" Claire growled.

"I used to work here. I'm thinking about working here again." Julius smiled. He actually hadn't thought of working there again, but it was a nice excuse.

"This idiot used to work here?" Claire raised her eyebrow.

"He may not look like it, but he was one of the best designers we had. It hurts to admit, but he has an eye for fashion." Luna crossed her arms and looked at the dress again. "Sapphire works the best. Good eye Julius."

"Why thank you for your kind words. I know that I have a fabulous sense of fashion." He grinned. Candace had gotten out of her seat and moved over to the sewing machine. "When is the dress going to be ready, Candace dear?"

"Hopefully by Anissa's birthday." Her voice was quiet. Claire narrowed her eyes. Julius frowned.

"That's ages away. You should have it done by the end of the week." Candace shook her head while Claire sighed in annoyance.

"Candace has six other projects she's working on. She doesn't have the time to work on that one dress." Julius rolled his eyes.

"Luna should know how to make clothes. Why can't she take one of the projects?" Luna turned a bit pink in the cheeks.

"I've got my own projects." That made Julius laugh.

"I'm guesting that Gill's one of them." Luna screeched with anger and lunged at Julius. He jumped back and knocked into a pot of flowers. That water spilled all over Julius's back, drenching his favorite jacket. Anger surged through him as he stared hard at the pink headed girl. "Thank you Luna. Water was the perfect addition I needed."

Julius stormed out of the quiet room. He marched back out front. His loud footsteps attracted Shelly and Mira from the kitchen. Mira put a hand to her mouth when she saw Juliu's wet clothing.

"What happened Julius?" She reached for him, but he shied away from her touch.

"I don't even know why I came back." Julius left his mother behind. On the way back to his house he met Luke.

"Hey Julius! How are y-"

"Shut it Luke." Julius paused beside him. He remembered Candace's tears when Luke tried to hurt Claire. He grabbed the collar of Luke's shirt. Julius's eyes were like a raging fire. "If you ever make Candace shed another tear, I will find you, and kill you with your own axe. Do you understand?"

There was no answer. Just a fearful nod. Julius let go and continued to his house. When it came to the damaging and ruining of clothes, there was no mercy.

* * *

Claire helped Luna clean up the mess. She felt bad for Julius. The jacket was probably getting cleaned up right now. Luna had been quiet for the whole time. Candace had run out to chase after Julius, she hadn't come back yet. Claire was about to march to Julius's house when an out of breath Candace came back into the room.

"Did you catch up to him?" Luna asked quietly. Candace shook her head. She sat down, and caught her breath.

"I'll have to go apologize to him later." Candace smiled at her sister, but Claire could see the rage boiling in Luna. It overfilled.

"WHY SHOULD YOU HAVE TO APOLOGIZE TO THAT IDIOT?!" Candace's smiled dropped.

"It was our fault that his clothes got wet." Luna shook her head.

"It was my fault! Not yours! Don't apologize for me!" Luna turned on her heel and stormed out of the room. Seconds later a door slammed. Claire agreed with Luna. Candace shouldn't have to apologize for Luna's actions, but it was what Candace did.

"Will you please help me with something?" Candace smiled again. Claire's eyes narrowed.

"With what?"

"Pumpkin Pie."

* * *

Julius relaxed into the sofa. He had a long day. He has sketched until he almost made his fingers bleed from the pressure of the pencil. He still didn't have any fabric, but there was no way that he was going back into that tailor shop. Luna was just such a brat that reacted terribly to all situations. She didn't even know how to say sorry.

He turned on the tv. There was nothing good on. He went to his case of movies and found a good one. He popped it into the VCR and flipped the channel. He was halfway through the movie when there was a knock on the door. Julius was tempted to ignore it, but he got up, pausing his movie. He was greeted by a nice surprise.

"Good evening Julius." Candace's head was down, so he couldn't' see her eyes. Julius smiled.

"Well, how nice to see you Candace. I take it that you're here to apologize for Luna?" Candace nodded. She held up a box. He could only guess what it was. "Is that pumpkin pie?" Candace nodded again. She sure knew how to make him happy. "Well come on in. I'm halfway through _The Princess Bride_. Would you like to finish it with me?"

"Yes… thank you." Candace blushed as Julius held the door open for her. She sat on the couch while he cut the pumpkin pie into slices. He got a plate for him and Candace. He handed a plate of pie to Candace and resumed the movie.

He knew that _The Princess Bride_ was one of Candace's favorites. She would watch it over and over when they were kids. That was when Candace thought that Julius was a girl. He had cut his hair short and tried to dress like the other boys, but he still had that feminine look.

He had left the island as soon as he was old enough to travel alone. He visited with an uncle then came back three years later. He was a teenager, and so was Candace. He had let his hair grow long again, and he decided to embrace what he liked. Fashion. When he came back, Candace still thought that he was girl. It took a while to convince her. He had fallen in love with her somewhere along the way.

When he decided that he was going to leave again, he gave Candace a kiss goodbye. It was just a teenager crush that had no actual feelings behind it. Julius sighed as he remembered his stupid boyish feelings. Those were the days where he was stress free. He didn't have to think about how to help Jin, or where Claire came from, or any of the other things on his mind.

"Julius?" He was brought back to reality by a slight shake on his shoulder. Candace was standing over him. Her face flushed a little. "Sorry, it's almost your favorite part, so I wanted to make sure that you saw it."

"Thank you." He turned his attention back to the screen and smiled. It was his favorite part. It was Inigo Montoya facing off the man who killed his father. He love the line. " _My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."_ It showed the courage of a man who was willing to risk his life to accomplish his one selfish goal. To kill the man who killed his father. Julius thought about his selfish goal.

His one selfish goal used to be to steal Candace's heart. Now he didn't have a goal. Julius sighed. He was thinking too much. He should just return to his happy self.

"Did you like it in the city?" Julius almost didn't hear her with the movie on. Candace was looking down at her hands. She wrung them together then unwrung them. Julius sighed.

"I may have learned a lot of new things, but it's just too loud." Julius was accustomed to the silent cries of the night. He wasn't used to the constant loud sound. "I like it here."

"So you take back what you said?"

"What?" Julius sat up. What did he say? Now the movie was just background noise. Neither Candace nor Julius were watching it anymore. Candace looked him in the eye for two seconds before looking down.

"You said that you didn't know why you came back." Julius sighed and sat back. He had a habit of saying things that he didn't mean.

"I had to come back. Without me, you guys wouldn't have a fabulous critic. You wouldn't be able to make beautiful clothing without my eye for fashion." Julius winked and Candace giggled. He smiled. He glanced at the time. "You should go home. It's getting late."

"Of course. Thank you for letting me stay." Julius moved to the door and opened it for her. Candace walked outside then waved to Julius as she left. Julius watched her go down the street, then closed the door. He watched the last part of the movie. He felt happier. Candace's visit had definitely rose his spirits. He should go visit her tomorrow. _Wait. What is this feeling? I've felt this before…._ Julius stiffened. He felt the same way when he had a crush on Candace.

* * *

 **Tee hee hee. I love Julius. I love Candace. I love Claire. I love Luna. I LOVE ALL OF THEM. PS: I don't have a picture for the story. If any of you guys who are reading this are artistic I wold love it if you sent me some art featuring the characters in this story. Please send them to my email 67 yahoo/dot/com. I will give full credit to you! Thank you!**


	6. Girls Talk

**This chapter is short. I didn't have much time to write.**

* * *

Candace hurried back to the tailor shop. She was buzzing with happiness. Julius wasn't going to leave the island. She almost ran into Claire on the way in. Claire managed to step aside in time. Candace hugged her friend.

"It worked. Thanks for your help Claire."

"I was just about to go looking for you. That idiot didn't do anything to you, did he?" Candace shook her head. Claire and Candace went up to Candace's bedroom and Candace shared everything. She used to not be able to share her feelings with anyone, but Claire listened to her. Claire was one of Candace's first friends that she had made when she came back. Claire could look a bit cold, but she was kind.

"He's an honest gentleman. I hope he comes back to work at the tailor shop." Candace giggled. Julius wasn't good at expressing his feelings. He put up a whole facade to hide what he really felt. Candace knew that Julius had a bit of a rough childhood.

"I hope he doesn't. With me here you guys don't need another worker." Claire was looking out the window, watching the sea. Candace immediately closed the curtains. Claire glared at Candace.

"I don't want you fainting again." She whispered. Claire rolled her eyes.

"I took my medicine. Besides, I'm getting better. I'm slowly over overcoming it. You don't have to worry so much." Claire smiled. Candace frowned. She sat back down on her bed while Claire continued to sketch. Candace peeked at the drawing and her breath caught in her throat.

It was a black dress that flowed down to the floor. There was little silver spots, like stars in the night sky, all over the dress. There were no sleeves, but there was armbands on each arm. They was connected to stripps of fabric than connected to bracelets. Claire caught her looking and handed the sketch book to Candace.

Candace had never seen such beautiful drawings. Claire had never shown Candace the sketch book before. There were all sorts of dresses and clothing drawn throughout the book. Each one was absolutely breathtaking.

"Claire, these are amazing! Have you made one?" Claire shook her head. "Why not?"

"I don't have the skill that you and Luna have. I can sketch, but I can't make the dresses." Claire tried to look out the window again, but the curtains blocked her view. She was lying to Candace. She knew how to make clothing, but she didn't want to. It was Candace's and Luna's job. The two girls were silent.

"Do you have anyone that you're interested in?" Candace looked down at the ground. It was embarrassing to be talking about these things with her. Claire was silent.

"Chase is cute, but Maya already owns him. Basically everyone's already taken. I don't have anyone outside the island either. I don't need anyone."

"Julius isn't taken." Candace didn't want to point it out, but she needed to. Claire gave Candace a weird look.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You like Julius. I'm not going to take him away from you. Besides, he's not even my type. I wouldn't ever go out with him. Don't look so worried." Claire laughed at Candace's expression. Candace smiled. Claire really cared about her feelings. It was nice to have such a good friend.

Candace looked down, feeling a bit depressed. Julius didn't have a friend that he could talk to. Jin was a good friend, but it looked like Julius was avoiding Jin. Something must've happened between the two of them. Candace would call herself Julius's friend, but there were some topics that Julius wouldn't talk to her about.

There was a knock at Candace's door. She looked up, to see Luna peeking in. Candace waved Luna in, and her little sister tackled Candace in a flurry of tears.

"I'm sorry Candace! I'm always making trouble for everyone. I even make trouble for Gill." Luna sobbed into Candace's shirt.

"What happened Luna?" Claire pat the girls back while Luna tried to take control of her emotions.

"I went to Gill's house to talk to him. I expressed my anger about Julius, and Gill looked really annoyed. He asked me to leave. What if I'm just a burden to him?!" Luna wailed. "What am I going to do?"

"Luna, he's not annoyed." Claire stated. Candace was confused. It clearly sounded like Gill was annoyed with Luna. "He's jealous. You were rambling on about Julius right? He must've thought that maybe something had gone on with you two."

"LUNA! Gill's here for you!" Shelly called from downstairs. Luna wiped the tears from her eyes. Claire smiled. Candace gave her sister's hands a squeeze.

"Are you sure?"

"Why else would he be here to see you. He must've realized his mistake." Luna nodded and slowly trudged downstairs. As soon as Claire and Candace heard the door open and close, they raced to the window.

Both of them watched as Luna and Gill stared at each other. Gill looked a bit winded, and Luna looked like a wreck. Gill spoke first. Luna nodded. She said something and turned to go back inside, but Gill caught her arm. He looked panicked, and Luna looked a bit ticked off. She started to yell at him, but it was ceased when Gill kissed her.

"About time." Claire mumbled. She turned away from the window and Candace did the same. Candace wasn't the one who was kissed, but her face was so red you wouldn't be able to wonder what had happened. "What? Embarrassed that you saw that?"

"Yes." Candace mumbled. They waited for a bit more, then they heard the door open again. Luna came back into the room moments later. Luna had a dreamy look on her face, and her cheeks were a bright red.

"He kissed me." Claire noded. She smiled, satisfied. Her hard work had paid off. She had been making Luna and Gill jealous for months. Telling little lies about the other. She didn't think that anyone would catch her, and no one had. She didn't mind meddling with others love affairs.

Luna and the rest of the girls spent the night chatting. Luna had plenty to tell that night. Claire drifted off to sleep, smiling. She was a bit happy that her life had turned out this way. But there was that large part of her that regretted every last moment of her life.

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 **My email didn't work last time. If you want to take up my offer my email is in my profile.**


	7. Chapter 7: Late Night Drinks

**I'm baacckk! Sick of me yet? It's not exactly 5.000 words, (not even close) but I had a lot of fun writing it. At least, most of it. I bawled through some of it. You'll find out why. This is being posted earlier than my ususal update time. The only reason for that is that I was dying to upload and couldn't wait any longer. Enjoy!**

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Julius felt like skipping as he made his way to the Sundae Inn. He knew why he felt so happy. Somehow, knowing that he still had feelings for Candace, made him excited and giddy. Like a little child. He was going to meet with Chase, Owen, Luke, Gill, and Jin. They had some catching up to do. Julius was a bit apprehensive about meeting with everyone. Especially Jin. How would the doctor hold up tonight?

Julius quickly pushed away his fears. Tonight, he would have fun with the guys. It wasn't the time to think about unpleasant topics. As Julius entered into the Inn, he was hit with warmth. The inn always had a homely feeling. He immediately spotted the guys. He made his way over and sat down next to Chase.

"Hellooo!" He sang. Chase rolled his eyes, but smiled at his enthusiasm. Everyone except for Gill and Jin were there, and it looked like Luke had started without everyone. Luke wouldn't meet his eyes, and Julius remembered his little exchange with him. He would have to apologize for that later. Trying not to get sucked into regret, Julius continued to smile.

"Hey. Glad of you to join us. Haven't seen much of you lately." Owen grinned. Julius gave him a smirk.

"You saw me at the beach a couple of days ago. I looked fabulous didn't I?" Julius flashed his stuck up grin. Everyone laughed while Owen shook his head.

"Didn't you know? You forgot to take off your makeup. It was running the whole time." Julius's jaw dropped. He went pale and his eyes were pleading for confirmation. Chase nodded while Luke just stared off into space.

"Are you...are you serious?" Owen gave his a stoic expression. Then he grinned.

"Nope! I got you." Chase and Owen roared with laughter, while Julius sat back in his chair relieved. He would've been mortified if it was the truth. If he had looked that way the whole time in front of Candace…. He'd never be able to speak to her again.

The inn door opened and Julius looked up to see that Gill and Jin entered together. They were in hushed conversation and both had serious expressions on their faces. Julius grinned. They couldn't come to a guy's meeting like that. They needed to loosen up.

Both of them were so intertwined in their conversation that they didn't see Julius wrap around behind them. When Owen and Chase realized what he was doing they both grinned. Julius put a finger up to silence them. Julius plopped his arms around their shoulders, coming in between them.

"MOTHERS LOVE!" Gill jumped, startling Howard, Colleen, Jake, and Kathy; they were all working in the back. Jin wasn't as startled as Gill, but Julius had felt the little jump in his shoulders. Gill took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. Chase, Owen and Luke were all laughing their heads off while Julius grinned from ear to ear. Jin turned to his friend hanging on his shoulders.

"Could you not?" Gill shrugged off Julius, glared at him then took a seat next to Luke. Luke then started teasing him about his outburst.

"No, it's too funny to not to do. Come on, loosen up." Julius steered Jin over to the table. Chase had gotten up to get the group drinks. Luke was already on his fourth drink, so Julius was a bit worried. Luke was the same age as the rest of the group, but he was the irresponsible one. Not knowing his limits and when to stop. "So….what have I missed?"

"Too much. Kathy and I got married about three months before Jin and Anissa. We didn't send you a card because we knew you wouldn't make it." Chase came back and handed out the drinks. Owen took a sip of his cringing at the burning taste. Owen hated the taste of alcohol, but drank it anyway.

"So we're starting with relationships? Ah no fun! You gotta wait till everyones drunk and unwillingly shares." Julius took his own drink, but left it in front of him. Judging by everyone's mood, they were going to drink and not stop until they were past their limit. Julius felt the same way, but if everyone was like this there had to be one sensible person who was willing to make sure everyone got home.

"I just wanted you to be aware that you missed one of the best and important moments of my life." Owen shot. Julius put a hand over his heart feigning that he was hurt by Owens sharp words.

"Sorry that I wanted to chase after my dreams. I'm glad that you finally got her. What's everyone up to these days?" Julius wanted to see what his old buddies were doing. Luke pounded his fists on the table.

"My sstupid old man is buggin me. I'm an adult now. I can take care of myssself." Luke was already slurring his words. When Julius had entered the bar there was only just a sliver of sunlight left. The night was still young, and Luke was already drunk. "I mean, who doess he think he iss? My mom?"

"He is your father. Maybe it's time for you to move out. Find your own place." Chase instructed. Chase was the person who gave good advice without even noticing. He could say something deep and dark then continue on like he hadn't just told someone exactly how they were feeling. It was like the words coming out of his mouth were not his own. Julius knew that through Chases nonchalant attitude and snarky smiles there was a child who was hating himself. Chase had a dark past, one that made Julius uncomfortable.

"Yeah, your right." Luke's voice lowered. Then he stood up, a bit unsteady on his feet. "I'm gonna go talk to him. Sssorrrry guyys. I'll catch ya later." Luke stumbled out of the inn before anyone could stop him. Everyone turned to Chase who was waving goodbye while casually sipping his drink.

"You did that on purpose." Gill pointed out. Chase raised and eyebrow, trying to hide his smile behind his glass.

"Nah." He took another sip then set down his drink. He broke out into a grin. "Fine. I did. He owes me money for the last time we went drinking. He hasn't paid me back yet so this is a little reminder of how much pain I can inflict on him without using my own hands."

"I sometimes wonder if you're a devil." Jin drank his drink in one shot, surprising anyone. Jin was a reasonable person. He knew what alcohol did to the body, so he was normally careful. Julius was reminded that the mood. It was like Jin had this little dark cloud around him. Jin wasn't going to be responsible tonight.

"Your one to say. I've heard Anissa call you the emotionless man once." Gill smirked. Jin glared at him, his sharp eyes locking onto Gill and shooting daggers.

"Your one to talk. You couldn't care less about other people's feelings." Gill's eyes narrowed. Already Julius could tell that this was not going well. The night was supposed to be fun; everyone was supposed to catch up with each other and share stories. They weren't supposed to be glaring at each other and making everyone around them uncomfortable.

"Alright! I think I want to hear about relationships now. Gill! How are things going with the pink spitfire?" Gill gave Julius a sideways glance, breaking the eye contact with Jin.

"Do you mean Luna?" Julius grinned and nodded. Gill froze for three seconds, before turning bright red. He was as red as the tomato juice he drank everyday for lunch. "Go-Good I-I-I guess." Gill stuttered. He quickly took a drink then looked down at the floor.

"Oh, some improvement in that area." Julius dramatically put his elbows on the table, propping his chin up with his hands. Chase and Owen looked interested as well. Jin stared at the empty drink in his hands before getting up and heading over to Hayden. "Please enlighten us."

"It's frankly none of your business." Gill grumbled taking another drink. Julius could see through his facade.

"Did you kiss her?"

"What gives you that idea?!" Gill answered; a bit too quickly. He soon realized his mistake right away. Turning even redder he covered his face with his hands groaning.

"How bold of you!" Julius teased. He knew that Gill was going to open up like a flower in spring.

"Was it? Should I have told her how I felt first? We're technically not even a couple yet. I just made her cry and I didn't know what to do. It's all your fault Julius!" Gill exclaimed. Julius tilted his head in confusion. This was news to him. "She was complaining about you saying something stupid and it made me jealous. I snapped at her and she ran away crying."

"You're welcome." Julius knew exactly what he was talking about. It was when he had called Gill one of Luna's 'projects'. He felt proud of himself that he helped smooth along their relationship.

"Noooo. It's your fault I blame you. What if she rejects me?" Gill tapped his finger on his knee; it was a nervous habit of his. Julius grinned some more. Chase and Owen were listening tentatively, intrigued by the conversation.

"Was her face pink or red?" Chase asked. Gill turned to him and nodded. "Then she liked it. Your fine."

"How would you know?" Gill shot back. Chase was silent. It was Chase's turn to be put into the spotlight.

"Do you have experience with someone?" Julius probed. Chase continued to stay silent. "Say Maya?" Silence. Julius stared hard at Chase's face. There was a slight pink hue coming at his cheeks. Bullseye. Julius was good at reading other people's faces. The only person he couldn't read so far was Claire. He didn't care about that at the moment. "Are you guys dating yet?"

"Maybe." Chase knew that he had been caught. He finished his drink. Jin hadn't returned to the table yet. Julius caught Maya coming down the stairs. Perfect timing. Chase followed Julius's eyes and quickly turned back around, groaning. Julius was about to call out to her, but she spotted Chase and rushed over.

"Chasey!" She called. She bounced right up to him and leaned on him from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Whatcha doing?"

"Drinking with the guys. No girls allowed." Chase gruffly said, annoyance ringing in his voice. Maya pulled a pouty look over her face.

"Not even your girlfriend?" Julius snickered while Chase gave a forced smiled.

"Not even my girlfriend." He answered. Julius knew that he was avoiding what Maya wanted him to say. She leaned into his ear. She whispered, but Julius could still hear her.

"And who exactly is your girlfriend?" Chase sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You." He played along for the sake of getting rid of her. Maya smiled happily then kissed him on the cheek. Chase buried his face in his hands. "Goddess that was embarrassing." The three guys laughed while Chase tried to shush them.

"How long has that been going on?" Owen asked, still chuckling. Chase picked up his drink, draining the last of it. He glanced over to the bar, and signaled for Hayden to make another drink. Jin was sitting there with another drink chatting with Hayden.

"Half a year." Owen and Gill's mouths dropped. Julius hadn't been here for that long, so it didn't shock him as much.

"You managed to hide it for that long?" Gill whispered. Chase shrugged his shoulders.

"I didn't hide it. You just didn't notice." Julius glared at Gill and Owen. Julius had managed to find out two days after he had returned to the island. How could those two be so dense? Julius was feeling good. The night was going well so far.

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Julius stopped drinking when he started to feel the affects. Chase was still going, but Gill was done. So was Owen. Jin hadn't returned to the table all night, but stayed at the bar. Chase rose from his seat, yawning.

"It was nice to see you again Juls. I've got to get some sleep or I'm going to have to spend tomorrow running on pure stubbornness." Julius got up and gave his friend a hug.

"You too Chasey." Julius coughed when Chase patted his back extremly hard. He whispered dangerously in Julius's ear,

"Don't ever call my Chasey again. It's reserved for Maya, and Maya only."

"Got it." Julius huffed. Chase pulled away and smiled.

"Good. See ya Owen. Keep up the good work Gill." Chase left and Owen was the next one to rise. Gill followed.

"I guess both of you are leaving too?" Julius whined. While they had stayed up late, Julius was hoping that they would stay a bit longer.

"We both have work in the morning. Unlike Chase, we don't have anything to run off of." Owen answered for Gill. Julius nodded and gave each of them a hug. They left quicker than Chase. The only person who was left was Jin.

Jin's head was drooped low over the bar. Julius approached cautiously, so he wouldn't startle him. Hayden came over.

"He drank a lot. I cut him off, but he was already far past drunk. Take him home will ya? I don't think he can get home on his own. Anissa will probably worry."

"I got it. Thanks Hayden." Julius smiled, and Hayden returned to the dishes. Julius looked down at Jin. The doctor's eyes were closed, so Julius shook his shoulder softly.

"I'm awake Juls." He opened his eyes and sat up. He pulled his ponytail out and ran a hand through his hair. "I drank too much." Jin speech was normally accurate, so he didn't slur his words. He turned his dark blue eyes onto Julius. They were filled with tears; pain and regret shone in his eyes.

"Let's get you home. I'm sure the Anissa is worried." Jin nodded. He stood, drifting to the side. Julius let the doctor lean on him. Jin and Julius were almost the same height, but Julius was a bit taller because of his boots. Jin leaned heavily on him. It made Julius wonder how drunk he really was.

The walk to Maple Lake District was slow and steady. Jin stumbled quite a few times, even though Julius was holding him up. There were no words spoken; the silence was slowly choking Julius to death. When they arrived at Jin's door the porch light was on. There was a light on inside too. Julius knocked. Anissa opened the door swiftly and quickly. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"How much did he have?" Julius transferred Jin to Anissa. Jin hugged his wife tightly, softly crying. Julius could barely make out what he was saying.

"I'm so sorry. I couldn't do anything to save Rebecca." At the mention of the unborn child, Anissa's eyes immediately filled with tears. There was no time for Julius to feel awkward about this situation. He was an adult now, and this was something he felt like he needed to watch.

Jin was the emotionless person. He was a doctor that couldn't let his emotions get in the way of work. How long had he been keeping it in? Now he was a broken man. Unable to keep his feeling in any longer. Anissa made eye contact with Julius.

"Thank you for bringing him home." It was his signal to leave. Julius nodded, then turned on his heel. Then he looked back.

"Take good care of him." Anissa rolled her eyes, but smiled. Julius then continued on his way home. Now he wished that he had talked to Jin more. It would have helped ease the burden on his shoulders. Julius hung his head. His own fear kept him away from his friends. He needed to grow up and face facts. Candace would always be there to comfort her friends; it didn't matter if it was painful to watch.

Why was Julius such a coward?

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 **I think I broke Jin. When you really think about it, Jin's a doctor. It hurts when your not able to save someones child, but when it's also your child... It defiantly doesn't feel good. The guilt and sorrow had just continued to pile up continuously. The alchoal had made him finally talk and break down.**

 **On a more happy note. I'm looking for people to draw the cover for the** **fan fiction** **. It just has my profile picture, and I want to try to get a picture for the front. If your** **interested** **then just email the cover art to my email. My email is in my profile, just remove the** **unnecessary** **things. All credit will go to you! Thanks for all of your support and I hope you continue to follow the story.**


	8. Chapter 8: Nightmare Scare

**I know I know! I haven't updated in months. I'm sorry. I got writers block then procrastinated. Heres the new chapter.**

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Claire shivered as thunder boomed overhead. She was walking along the beach, the water lapping at her feet. It was dark, and she couldn't see any of the stars. Too many clouds were blocking the way. Suddenly lightning lit up the sky; thunder followed right after. The water became more ferocious and Claire started to run towards the safety of the tailor shop. The wind was howling while thunder and lightning overtook the sky.

Claire let out a strangled scream when she tripped. She landed face first into the sand. Blinking the small grains out of her eyes, Claire turned to look at the ocean. A huge wall of water rose above her, blocking out her whole vision. Thunder drowned out her screams as the water crashed down on her. The water tugged at her body, pulling her deeper into the sea. She tried to fight to the surface, but the water wouldn't release its hold. Finally, her lungs burst with lack of air. Trying to scream, trying to fight, she sank down deeper as her life ebbed away.

I'm cold. Why does it hurt so much? Why must I feel this pain? I miss Darren. I miss Sylvia. But they won't miss me. After all, I'm just the youngest. The one hungry for love, no matter if it's real or fake. No one really took me seriously. No one really loved me. You deserved this. You deserved to DIE!

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Claire's eyes snapped open. She sat up quickly; her breaths were quick and short. She reached up to touch her face, feeling the salty tears that drenched it. Her heart still raced with fear. Candace and Luna were sleeping peacefully on their beds, not startled awake by Claire's sudden movement. For that, Claire was grateful. She looked down at her hands, feeling them shake. Clenching her fists, Claire rose and crept out of the room.

Shelly wasn't awake, so Claire was able to leave the Tailor's shop without any trouble. The street lamps glowed with an eerie light. The hot muggy air surrounded Claire not helping her situation. Without even a glance at the ocean, Claire began her trek home. Her mind was blank as she took one step in front of the other.

Although it was still hard most nights, it was getting easier to sleep. This wasn't one of the easy nights. In fact, that dream reminded Claire of the horrible dreams she had at the beginning. Did the beach day they recently had reset her progress? Claire was getting back to normal. Did she have to start all over again? The thought tore at her sanity. She didn't know how much longer she could take it.

Footsteps startled her and she looked around until she spotted a figure coming her way. Their head was lowered, but in the dim lamplight, Claire could see a yellow highlight. She stiffened as she realized that it was Julius. Worst timing ever. When Julius noticed that someone was there he looked up. A shiver went down Claire's spine as soon as the saw the conflicting pain in his eyes. Then it was gone, replaced with playfulness.

"What are you doing up so late?" The sudden cherry and bouncy attitude he displayed made Claire want to start chewing him out. It was clear that he had something on his mind that was bothering him, but he instead wanted to take it on himself. Claire couldn't deny that he had a similar mindset as her.

"It's really none of your business." She growled. Every time she met with him she felt defensive. She had no clue why. Although, she had a hypothesis. She didn't want anyone to be able to break down the defensive wall she had built around herself. They would have to knock first. Claire had a feeling that Julius would just barge in without asking.

Claire waited for his reaction, and she was met with a soft smile. Although she could tell that he was struggling to hide it, the smile had a hint of sorrow. His eyes didn't meet hers as he sighed and looked up at the stars. "I guess you're right. It's none of business. Sorry for being nosy."

"You weren't being nosy," Claire whispered to herself. His reaction had certainly surprised her. There was something different about him tonight. He wasn't himself. As Claire glanced at him again. There was conflict in his eyes; he had to be mulling over a problem he couldn't solve. If he kept it up he wouldn't be able to sleep at night. Sleep. How many nights had it been since she had a good night sleep? "Why aren't you sleeping?"

Claire asked herself the question but said it aloud. Julius looked over and gave her a small smile. "Alcohol is keeping me awake." Alcohol? Was he an alcoholic? It didn't fit his image at all!

"I didn't know you were that type of person." Claire giggled. Julius tilted his head in confusion. That only made Claire laugh harder. Nightmare forgotten, Claire tried to stop her laughing fit. Her stomach had started to hurt and it made it hard to breathe.

"What type of person? What did you think I was before?" Julius narrowed his eyes, but Claire didn't feel threatened. She smiled and absentmindedly rubbed her bracelets. She tried to think. What type of person was he? He put up a facade of being self-centered and rude. He tried to make others think that he didn't care about hurting others. He hurt Candace by accident, no. He hurt her on purpose. Claire would never forgive him for hurting Candace. "Well?"

"Your stupid arrogant self-centered and sometimes nice. Now I know that your an alcoholic." Claire turned her head away from him. She didn't want to talk to him anymore. She had forgotten the hurt that he had inflicted upon Candace. A girls heart was fragile and Julius already broke hers too many times.

"That's mostly right, but I'm not an alcoholic. I was having a little reunion with the guys on the island. What defines someone as an alcoholic? All I know is that I mentioned nothing that would point to me being an alcoholic." Claire's face burned. He was right. She had heard one thing and jumped to a conclusion. That wasn't all. His tone was frightening. How badly had she hurt him? "You should head home and get some sleep." Claire whipped around. His playful smile had been reattached.

"I guess…" Julius turned around and walked back up the steps leading to his house. Before he reached his house he turned around and smiled. "Goodnight my little Claire."

"I hope you die." It didn't matter if she hurt him. He was insufferable. Julius just laughed, then disappeared from her sight. Claire grit her teeth and marched all the way home. She couldn't hold back anymore. She needed to do something about him. To not only keep him away from her but as Candace as well.

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As soon as the door was closed Julius collapsed to the floor. His fists shook as she remembered her words. Alcoholic? He goes out drinking once and he's suddenly an alcoholic. He would never go that far. He would never go down that path. He knew what would happen. Julius understood the destruction it could cause. He would never _ever_ sink that low.

He would never become his father.

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 **Should I write about his father next, or make you wait? I'll make you wait. :D**


	9. Apology

**Okay... I haven't updated in a loooonnnngggg time. So I apologize for that... I have good news and bad news. I'll tell you the bad news first. This story will not be updated any more. It's derailed from my expectations and I don't think that people enjoy reading my story. It's had it's ups and downs. Now here comes the good news. I'm going to fix those ups and downs.**

 **THAT'S CORRECT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! This story is not being discontinued! I would never drop a story in my life and I never have. Instead of just leaving it be I'm going to rewrite it. This way, I can make it more enjoyable for myself to write, and for you to read. However it will take some time...**

 **I** **n the past I have gotten overwhelmed by the fact that, hey it's the day to update but I don't have a chapter written. I don't want that to happen again. So, I'm going write about five chapters in advance so I am able to keep my head above water. I want to thank everyone for their support and guidance. Thank you for sticking with my story for this long. I hope you enjoy the new light and motivation I put into Within the Waves.**

 **Thanks~!**


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